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Costa Rica: The government of Costa Rica is considering a measure to increase competition in the local cement market, for which accredited ratings agencies would define regulations on the consistency of cement to be sold in the country. This should enable the import of cement from more distant countries, such as China.

The current law prohibits the sale of cement when more than 45 days have passed since the production date, while the material should maintain a resistance of 28MPa. Economy Minister Welmer Ramos said that the existing regulations impede competition, while there are certified laboratories that are capable of demonstrating the quality of cement. However, there are fears that building works could be damaged if an adequate standard is not established.

Mexico: Cemex plans to build new power plants in Mexico using natural gas, according to Cemex Energia chief executive Luis Farias. "We are looking to develop a 300MW gas project in the north of the country, near the border with the US," said Farias. Cemex is also looking at a portfolio of three to five 70MW plants, complementing existing installations at its cement plants where it already has access to gas.

India: The board of directors of Rain Commodities Ltd has given the go ahead to a proposal to develop a 7MW waste heat recovery (WHR) system at Rain Cement's plant in Boincheruvupalli Village, Kurnool District, Andhra Pradesh.

The power plant will produce up to 7MW of gross electrical energy from the waste heat and flue gases produced during the cement manufacturing process at a project cost of US$11.3m. The project that will be funded by internal accruals and bank loans and is expected to be completed in about 14 months.

China: SOCAM Development Ltd has agreed to sell its entire 45% stake in Lafarge Shui On Cement Ltd, its cement joint venture project, to its partner Lafarge for US$329m. Lafarge Shui On Cement has 32Mt/yr of cement production capacity in southwest China, in Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Chongqing Provinces. The sale would make Lafarge Shui On Cement a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lafarge.

SOCAM Development, which has been seeking to sell its cement operations since 2013, said that the disposal would allow it to focus on its construction business and to capture opportunities arising from a massive public housing programme recently announced by the Hong Kong government.